Keir Starmer is facing dissent within his party over a controversial new Home Office guidance that bars people arriving in Britain by “dangerous” means from ever claiming UK citizenship. The policy, quietly announced last week, has sparked a rebellion among Labour backbenchers who argue it “further punishes” those fleeing war and persecution.
Under the new rules, individuals who have arrived by small boats or hidden on lorries—and even those already granted indefinite leave to remain or settled status—will have their UK citizenship applications automatically turned down. The guidance, aimed at targeting those who enter the country illegally, has been condemned by human rights groups, who warn that it will render thousands of people “second-class citizens.”
